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Final Report Management and Restoration Analysis for Kankakee Sands Black Oak Sand Savanna

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Final Report Management and Restoration Analysis for Kankakee Sands Black Oak Sand Savanna Final Report Management and restoration analysis for Kankakee sands black oak sand savanna Grant Agreement IDNR ‐08‐031W John W. Groninger Dept. Forestry‐4411 Southern Illinois Univ. Carbondale, IL 62901 Phone 818‐453‐7462 Timeframe Start 7/16/07‐End 6/30/08 Final Report prepared by: John W. Groninger Dept. Forestry‐4411 Southern Illinois Univ. Carbondale, IL 62901 Phone 818‐453‐7462 Project objectives (from proposal): Kankakee Sands encompasses the largest concentration of high quality black oak sand savannas in the Midwest. This area provides a critical habitat for many unique plants and animals. For example the Red‐ headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), the only known population of Yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia), eastern most population of Plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius), and Primrose violet (Viola primulifolia) are only a few of the many species dependent on the black oak sand savannas. According to scientists of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an additional 8,000 acres is needed to support the black oak sand savanna system. The large size and concentration of high quality black oak sand savannas of Kankakee Sands provides managers a valuable opportunity to develop management guidelines for these systems. The herbaceous component of savanna systems has been widely studied. However, the tree component, dominated by the relatively short‐lived black oak, has received little attention. Presently, many of these areas are overstocked and otherwise in poor condition. Even among high quality systems, long‐term stability is inferred, but not known. If funded, this project will provide specific recommendations for the long‐term management of the tree component of black oak sand savannas. Information needed to develop these guidelines will be based on measurements of structure, dynamics, and vegetation characteristic of high quality and degraded black oak sand savannas. Considerable attention will be paid to the actual age, structural stability and likelihood of survival of; a. presently dominant black oak individuals, b. small trees in a position to assume dominance following the demise of these individuals, and c. the status of regeneration. Site‐ specific recommendations for fire regime maintenance, regeneration needs and density management will be developed for both high quality and degraded savannas. The results of this project will also assist resource managers improve the prospects for successful black oak sand savanna stewardship throughout Illinois. Completed project description (complete description attached) Summary Management and restoration of black oak dominated sand savannas rely on historic vegetative descriptions (settler accounts, surveyor notes, aerial photographs). It is commonly assumed that fire alone maintains savanna structure and composition, however little is known about the specific fire frequency needed to maintain these systems. The objective of this study was to quantify and correlate characteristics of stand structure with fire history of the Kankakee Sands savannas in northeastern Illinois. Fire history chronologies were determined through dendrochronological methods from 287 dated fire scars identified on 60 black oak (Quercus velutina) trees located throughout four study sites. Stand structure was characterized in 30 circular plots (0.04 hectares) per study site that were placed at 25‐meter intervals along randomly established permanent line transects in the summer of 2007. Stand structure analysis consisted of the development of tree age‐size relationships among presently dominant and suppressed trees in relation to fire history. Variations in stand structure were strongly related to fire dynamics among the four study sites. Specifically, components of stand structure such as tree density (n = 118; r = 0.440; p < 0.0001), basal area (n = 118; r = 0.347; p < 0.0001), and total woody stem density (n = 118; r = 0.417; p < 0.0001) all increased as a function of fire free interval. The population of black oak, the dominant canopy tree (I.V. 300 = 244.66) appeared to be structurally unstable based on the historic fire regime of the four sites. Fire intervals less than two years maintained conditions of openness, as was referenced to 1939 historic aerial photographs, but eliminated potential future canopy trees. Under these conditions, we predict a dramatic shift in community structure toward prairie vegetation, as no smaller trees were present to assume canopy dominance. Fire intervals greater than two years were associated with transition to closed canopy forests. Other management considerations, including grazing and or selective cutting, are proposed to balance historic canopy openness and promote regeneration of characteristic savanna species. Images Kankakee sands black oak savanna Kankakee sands black oak savanna Black oak cross‐section with fire scars Collecting black oak cross sections Species benefitting from this project include… Red‐headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) Yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) Plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) Primrose violet (Viola primulifolia) Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem) Andropogon gerardi (big blue stem) Heterotheca spartea (porcupine grass) Carex pensylvanica (pen sedge) Koeleria macrantha (June grass) Amorpha canescens (lead plant) Aster linariifolius (stiff‐leaved aster) Comandra umbellata (bastard toadflax) Liatris aspera (blazing star), Corylus americana (American hazel) Rhus sp. (sumac) Salix humilis (prairie willow) Rosa caroliniana (Carolina rose) Specific audience affected Visitors to Kankakee sands Managers and users of black oak sand savannas elsewhere in Illinois Products ‐MS thesis of Cody Considine (in progress) ‐Presentation at Ecological Society of America meeting: Considine, C.D., J.W. Groninger, C.M. Ruffner, S.G. Baer, and M.D. Therrell. 2008. Integrating fire history and stand structure: Implications for black oak sand savanna management and restoration.Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Auguest 8, Milwaukee, WI. ‐SIUC press release: Hello from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. We are sending you (1) news release. Today’s headline is: 1. Research may help save Kankakee Sands savanna Research may help save Kankakee Sands savanna By K.C. Jaehnig CARBONDALE, Ill. ‐‐ Flame plus cow usually equals nothing more than a tasty burger, but when it comes to saving one of the nation’s few remaining savannas, that combination might prove more than a value meal. Research at the Kankakee Sands, a Nature Conservancy preserve straddling the Illinois‐ Indiana state line near Kankakee, suggests that burning and grazing could work together in maintaining black oak savanna ecosystems, which require a tricky balance of trees and grasslands to be at their best. Funding for the work came from The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Preservation Fund. “Because of their open conditions, these areas are very rich in flowers and other vegetation, birds and animals, “ said John W. Groninger, who teaches in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s forestry department and supervised the research. “Without fire, they become overgrown with trees, which provide too much shade for other vegetation to grow. But we found that the areas that burned enough to maintain a somewhat open structure still had undergrowth coming in. It looks like grazing is the missing element.” Covering roughly a third of the Kankakee Valley, the Kankakee Sands region is a legacy of the last ice age when floodwaters from prehistoric lakes left behind gravel and sand as they roared through. Swept by the wind, the sand formed dunes, which offered some protection to fast‐sprouting, drought‐tolerant black oaks springing up in the protected swales. Over time, this unusal blend of oak and grass became home to, among other species, redheaded woodpeckers, regal fritillary butterflies, plains pocket gophers, yellow wild indigo and orange fringed orchids, all of which nowadays struggle to survive. “Savannas are like prairies with scattered trees,” said Cody D. Considine, a restoration ecologist with The Nature Conservancy, who is basing his master’s thesis on his research in this area. “Because some species require savanna habitat, this area is critical for many unique plants and animals. Redheaded woodpeckers, for example, can’t live in closed canopy forests or open prairies. They need a mix of grassland and trees.” Over the years, development and row crops have destroyed the once‐plentiful savannas, reducing millions of acres throughout the Midwest to little more than a few thousand. The Kankakee Sands area contains the largest concentration of black oak savannas not just in the Midwest but in the country. Maintaining what’s there and adding to it plays a crucial role in protecting the plants and wildlife that depend on this type of habitat. Fire has always served as a key player in keeping these savannas relatively open. But too much fire harms more than it helps. “The larger trees can survive, but younger trees are often killed,” Considine said. “Even if they can resprout, with frequent fires the saplings are unlikely to grow into trees.” Considine decided to track the fire history of four sites in the Kankakee Sands by sectioning some tree trunks and analyzing their fire scars. That information would suggest how often managers could perform prescribed burns to maintain openness
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